Syria

• The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is preparing to evacuate wounded people and trapped civilians from Homs after both sides agreed to its request for a temporary pause in fighting.

• US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is expected to discuss Syria at a meeting in Russia with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov next week.

• At least 20 Syrian soldiers were killed in the latest clashes with rebel fighters in the north-west province of Latakia, according to AFP citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

• Senior officers in Syria are ready to oust President Assad in order to preserve the Alawite sect, according to Albawaba news website. The report, which cannot be confirmed, hints that its source is the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

Egypt

• There are conflicting reports about the health of ex-president Hosni Mubarak. Earlier today he was said to be in a coma, though other sources say he is conscious and in a stable condition.

• The presidential election result is thought to hang on the outcome of appeals about voting irregularities. Both the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq are claiming victory. A declaration of the result, expected tomorrow, could be delayed.

Kuwait

• The constitutional court has ruled that parliamentary elections held last February were invalid and that the previous parliament should be reinstated. Earlier this week, the emir suspended parliament for a month following the resignations of two cabinet ministers under pressure from opposition MPs.

4.47pm:Syria: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will have talks in Russia next week with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, AP reports. Discussion is likely focus on the crisis in Syria and efforts to get Iran to comply with international demands on its nuclear programme.

The private talks will take place on the sidelines of a meeting of Asia-Pacific foreign ministers to be held in St Petersburg on 28 June.

AP says Clinton's trip was planned before the Obama-Putin meeting last Monday but she and Lavrov are expected to build on that discussion, which ended without apparent agreement on how to end continuing violence in Syria.

4.27pm:Egypt: The Mubarak health drama (or non-drama?) continues. One of the ex-president's lawyers, Youssri Abdel Razeq, has given a totally new version of events to the New York Times:

What really happened, the lawyer said, was that Mr Mubarak had suffered a fall in the prison bathroom, which resulted in a blood clot on his neck, and that he had been removed from the prison at 5pm — long before the reports of his near-death experience began to appear.

"We were surprised at what we can call a media mania in Egypt last night," the lawyer said.

He said doctors had quickly given Mr Mubarak medicine to remove the blood clot in his neck, he underwent an MRI test, and was in stable condition.

3.45pm:Syria: ICRC and Red Crescent teams are on standby to move into Homs, but the evacuation has not begun, a spokesman said in an email update.

He added: "We can't speculate on when teams might gain entry to the affected areas, including whether it will happen today."

3.27pm:Syria: The ICRC has emphasised that the agreed pause in fighting Homs needs to be put into practice before any evacuation can occur.

A spokesman said: "Allowing civilians to move to safer areas is one of the obligations that falls on parties to a conflict."

He added: "We made a request yesterday for a pause in the fighting to allow an evacuation of civilians to take place. It's the second time we have sought such a pause since the Syrian government agreed in early May to consider such requests. Government forces and the armed opposition have agreed to the pause, which needs to be put into practice to allow evacuations to occur."

Earlier the ICRC put out this statement:

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are attempting to evacuate and otherwise assist people stranded in several neighbourhoods of Homs city by the ongoing fighting.

"Fighting has been raging for more than 10 days between the Syrian Army and armed opposition groups in several neighbourhoods of Homs city," said Béatrice Mégevand-Roggo, the ICRC's head of operations for the Near and Middle East.

"Hundreds of civilians are stuck in the old city of Homs, unable to leave and find refuge in safer areas, because of the ongoing armed confrontations. It is critical that the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent be immediately given safe and unhindered access to those in need of life-saving assistance."

The ICRC made a request on 19 June for a temporary pause in the fighting to the Syrian authorities and to different opposition groups. The authorities officially agreed to our request, and the opposition groups gave assurances that they would respect the pause. The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are ready to enter the old city of Homs and the neighbourhoods of al-Qarabees, al-Qusour, Jurat al-Shayyah and al-Khalidiya.

"Our first priority, together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, is to evacuate the wounded and the sick to safer areas, where they can be treated," said Ms Mégevand-Roggo. "We also want to evacuate civilians who have been unable to flee the conflict area, and bring in much-needed aid and medical supplies to the local Syrian Arab Red Crescent branch."

In accordance with international humanitarian law, the wounded and the sick must receive, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least delay, the medical care and attention they require, and all possible measures must be taken to facilitate their evacuation. The parties must also take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population, including allowing civilians to move to safer areas.

3.08pm:Syria: As we await more news about the ICRC's operation in Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims three people died in the city today as its death toll for today increased to 30 across the country.

One rebel fighter died in clashes in the Baba Amr district, south-west of the centre, it said. Another died from wounds sustained several days ago in the Jouret Shiyah area, north of the centre.

One of the stated aims of the ICRC mission is to rescue those wounded in the conflict in Homs.

Now Lebanon quoted Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, ICRC's head of operations for the Near and Middle East, as saying: "Our first priority, together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, is to evacuate the wounded and the sick to safer areas, where they can be treated."

2.52pm:Syria: The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is preparing to evacuate wounded people and trapped civilians from Homs after both sides agreed to its request for a temporary pause in fighting, according to Reuters.

"We have teams from the ICRC and Syrian Red Crescent in Homs city. We want to go in as soon as possible. We are finalising technical issues," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan told Reuters.

An Egyptian woman named Tahani holds a poster of ousted president Hosni Mubarak as she stands outside the military hospital where he was transfered after suffering a stroke in prison. Photograph: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images

Meanwhile, pictures have emerged of Mubarak's supporters outside the Maadi military hospital where he is being treated.

2.16pm:Syria/Jordan: Jordan's King Abdullah has cautioned against military intervention in Syria warning that it would increase regional insecurity.

The next 72 hours will be critical but he could survive, said the source. However, he may not regain all his intellectual and physical capacities and may have impaired concentration and vision due to a stroke.

Earlier today, it was reported that Mubarak has been taken off a life support machine.

• The presidential election result is thought to hang on the outcome of appeals about voting irregularities. Both the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq are claiming victory. But only the Muslim Brotherhood has offered proof of victory in the form of tallied reports from judges at polling stations. A declaration of the result, expected tomorrow, could be delayed.

• The Shafiq campaign plans to launch a political party, whoever wins the election. It also continues to accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of a plot against it.

• Senior officers in Syria are ready to oust President Assad in order to preserve the Alawite sect, according to Albawaba news website. The report is impossible to confirm but hints is the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

Kuwait

• The constitutional court has ruled that parliamentary elections held last February were invalid and that the previous parliament should be reinstated. Earlier this week, the emir suspended parliament for a month following the resignations of two cabinet ministers under pressure from opposition MPs.

The key source of uncertainty is the outcome of appeals filed by the campaign of former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq (pictured left), it says.

Their preliminary results show that Morsi won a total 13,238,298 votes while Shafik garnered 12,351,184 — a difference of 887,114.

However, Shafiq's campaign has repeatedly claimed that he is in fact the winner, but by a smaller margin. They say the Morsi campaign, trigger-happy with its early celebrations, should wait until the Presidential Election Committee announces the final results on Thursday. Still, they beamed with confidence at a Tuesday conference, saying they're sure Shafiq is the next president.

Also on Tuesday, Morsi's campaign said that 140 appeals were filed, 100 of which were accepted, and that final results will be out Thursday. But instead of waiting, they've repeatedly claimed the presidency — obviously under the impression that the appeals would come out in their favor and increase their margin of victory.

Now investigations looking into alleged ballot rigging may mean that around 1 million votes are discounted, which means it's anyone's game.

Earlier this week, the emir (left) suspended parliament for a month following the resignations of two cabinet ministers under pressure from opposition MPs. The Associated Press explains:

Kuwait has the Gulf's most politically independent parliament. It often demands to question top officials and has the ability to pass no-confidence votes to oust cabinet officials. Tensions have flared since February elections that gave Islamists and their political backers control of the chamber.

The opposition insists they now deserve more than half the seats in the 15-member cabinet. The bloc rejected an offer of four seats after the election.

Security officials say Hosni Mubarak is in a coma but off of life support and his heart and other vital organs are functioning.

Overnight, state media reported that the 84-year old former president, who was ousted in last year's uprising, suffered a stroke and was put on life support. He was later transferred to a military hospital from the Cairo prison hospital where he recently began serving a life sentence.

The security officials said Wednesday that a team of 15 doctors was supervising the condition of Mubarak, who needed help with his breathing.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The officers now believe "that the fate of the Alawite sect is more important than the fate of Assad himself," it says. "They see the Syrian sect as part of the Syrian people, and thus Bashar al-Assad and his family can go to exile in another country."

The report is impossible to confirm and might not be worth much attention – except that Albawaba gives some very broad hints that its source is none other than the Iraqi prime minister.

The report talks of "high-level sources in the Iraqi Dawa party, led by prime minister Nuri al-Maliki", and adds that "sources close to the Iraqi PM al-Maliki said the option of an Alawite rebellion could be the best way out of the Syrian crisis and will prevent a Syrian civil war".

10.56am:Egypt: A new website called Mubarakdeadornot.com has the latest health reports, rumours and reflections on the former dictators record in office.

The Arabist tweets the scene, in black and white, outside the military hospital where Mubarak is being treated.

10.32am:Egypt: Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq is to launch a political party whoever wins the presidential election, according to the Egypt Independent.

It quotes a source as saying:

We know that we will face strong resistance from some active groups in the political arena, but we are ready to play in the political field with professionalism, and we will not give in to any plot against the new party. We are sure that there are millions of Egyptian citizens who [want] to join us.

Meanwhile, Shafiq's spokesman, Ahmad Sarhan has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of scaremongering ahead of the election result, by claiming its message amounts to "Morsi or Chaos", in his one of his latest tweets.

He said the conflicting reports about Mubarak's health undermine public trust in the official version of events, including potentially the forthcoming presidential election results.

At times when you need confirmation either way there is no official trusted source of the requisite information. That's what happened with the Mubarak 'death', and that's pretty much what happens with every incident that occurs in Egypt. The decision of the presidential election commission is binding ... But there will always be doubts cast on the results.

The results of the election are due to be declared on Thursday, but appeals could delay the announcement. Abdo now predicts a victory by the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi.

There are still appeals to be considered by the commission, but as it stands now Morsi looks likely to be the winner, simply because the Morsi campaign has offered proof that their candidate is the one who won. They have the tallied reports signed by the judges from all the polling stations. The Shafiq campaign was silent for 24 hours, then came out with a somewhat hysterical press conference in which they claimed that their candidate was half a million votes ahead. They offered no justification or basis for this. I think they were just talking in the wind.

It looks like Morsi's campaign got it right, barring unforeseen circumstances. [If Shafiq is declared winner] the Muslim Brotherhood will cry foul and for good reason. The only way I can see Shafiq winning is if the election commission accepts the appeals of his campaign - meaning they would have to strike out hundreds of thousands of votes, and that would be deemed a very politicised decisions and it will cause a big ruckus.

I think they [the military authorities] will declare Morsi the winner because they can't afford the fallout from declaring Shafiq the winner.

They hold all the cards so I don't think a Morsi win will cause too much upset. Morsi will be a president with his hands tied. The military has also announced the formation of a national defence council that [will include] the president but also 16 members, 11 of which are from the military. Decision will be made by a simple majority so they will have the final say.

They [the military] have ensured that irrespective of the winner they remain in charge.

The revolutionaries know that the current fight is not their fight, it is a face off between the Muslim Brotherhood and Scaf. So they are waiting to see how it's going to turn out. There is very popular refrain which is 'down with the next president' whoever it is.

Explaining his decision in a blog post, Blumenthal says he started writing for al-Akhbar because at the time he considered it "one of the most courageous publications in the Arab world". But now, he says, "the paper's opinion pages have become a playpen for dictator enablers". He writes:

I recently learned of a major exodus of key staffers at al-Akhbar caused at least in part by disagreements with the newspaper leadership's pro-Assad tendency.

The revelation helps explain why al-Akhbar English now prominently features the malevolent propaganda of Amal Saad Ghorayeb and the dillentantish quasi-analysis of Sharmine Narwani alongside editor-in-chief Ibrahim al-Amin's friendly advice for Bashar Assad, whom he attempts to depict as an earnest reformer overwhelmed by events ...

I was forced to conclude that unless I was prepared to spend endless stores of energy jousting with Assad apologists, I was merely providing them cover by keeping my name and reputation associated with al-Akhbar.

More importantly, I decided that if I kept quiet any longer, I would be betraying my principles and those of the people who have encouraged and inspired me over the years. There is simply no excuse for me to remain involved for another day with such a morally compromised outlet.

9.45am:Syria: The US has added Syria to the list of countries that could face sanctions for failing to combat the trafficking of people. Its latest annual global survey from the state department places Syria among 16 countries that are "not making significant efforts" to meet minimum standards.

The report says it is unclear how the current conflict has affected the human trafficking situation in Syria, but the country's downgrading seems to result from a lack of action to deal with it. The Assad regime is accused of failing to investigate and punish offences or offer protection to victims. The report says:

Prior to the political uprising and violent unrest, Syria was principally a destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor or sex trafficking. Thousands of women – the majority from Indonesia, the Philippines, Somalia, and Ethiopia – were recruited by employment agencies to work in Syria as domestic servants, but were subsequently subjected to conditions of forced labour by their employers ...

Traffickers prey on Syria's large Iraqi refugee population, with some Iraqi women and girls exploited by their families or by criminal gangs; victims were sent to work in nightclubs, placed into temporary "marriages" to men for the sole purpose of prostitution, or sold to pimps who rent them out for longer periods of time.

Six other Arab countries are ranked at the same level as Syria: Algeria, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen.

Conflicting reports about Hosni Mubarak's health are adding renewed volatility to Egypt's political crisis ahead of the official results of a divisive presidential election, and amid mounting anger at a power grab by the military council.

Egyptians have been sceptical of earlier reports that his health was worsening since he was put in prison on 2 June, believing the reports were just a pretext to move him to another facility.

Mubarak's health crisis added a new element of uncertainty just as a potentially explosive fight opened over who will succeed him, following elections at the weekend, and moves by the interim military government to extend its powers.

It adds further layers to what is threatening to become a new chapter of unrest and political power struggles in Egypt, 16 months after Mubarak was removed by a popular uprising demanding democracy. Egyptians were uncertain about Mubarak's fate, about who will succeed him and about whether his successor will have any power.

The campaign of Mubarak's former prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, said that Shafiq has won Egypt's presidential election, countering the Muslim Brotherhood's claim of victory for its candidate, Mohammed Morsi.

The election commission is to announce the official final results on Thursday and no matter who it names as victor, his rival is likely to reject the result as a fraud.

• Premature accounts of Mubarak's death were widely reported on Tuesday night. The BBC's Newsnight programme announced his death (1 min 37 secs into the programme) in its opening roundup.

I don't know, but does it matter? They'd be wise not to pull the (much devalued) prize away at this point,which could produce an open revolt by the Brotherhood; better to have an elected, but powerless, figurehead. They're going to need somebody to blame when people finally notice the economy is a disaster. And a co-opted Brotherhood could be helpful in many ways, as long as Morsi understands who is co-opting whom.

You have a possible fight on the result of the presidential election, an almost certain fight on the fate of parliament and the constitutional declaration, and a longer-term fight on the drafting of the future constitution. If you're not worried already, start worrying now.

The Joint Action Committee is designed to "unify the political work and the field work in Syria across all the revolutionary levels to ensure a smooth future transition," according to its founder Hussein Sayed.

Its executive is formed of three representatives from each of the four main opposition groups in Syria. These include the Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC), the largest grassroots coalition that, according to a study by O'Bagy, controls 70% of the regional Revolutionary Councils across the country as well as the majority of the Local Coordination Committee.